Audiobook production for the whole list.
Cast, directed, scored, and mastered audiobooks for imprints and backlist owners. One-time fees, files you own, optional wide distribution. Lex takes no royalties.
Published to Audible plus 19 retail and library channels, with disclosure handled.
How publishing wide works- Audible
- Spotify
- Google Play
- Kobo
- Apple Books
- +16 more
Audible
Spotify
Google Play
Kobo
Apple BooksCatalog unit economics
- Voiceover$49
- Studio$99
- PublisherCustom
- Lex royaltiesNone
Can we afford audio for the whole list?
Voiceover is $49 and Studio is $99, each covering 10 finished hours. Extra hours bill at a flat per-hour rate. The Publisher pack is custom when you also want done-for-you distribution.
| Human studio | Royalty share | Lex | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Upfront, typical novel | $2,400 to $5,850 | $0 | $49 Voiceover or $99 Studio per 10 finished hours |
| Long-term cost | None. The fee is the fee | Half royalties for 7 years, Audible exclusive | Lex takes no royalties. Distribution partner keeps 20% of net except on Spotify. |
| Files and rights | You own the masters | You own, locked to Audible, Amazon, and iTunes for the term | You own masters and commercial rights, no exclusivity |
| Time to start | Weeks to months per title | Weeks to find a narrator who will take the deal | First chapter free in about a day |
| Catalog economics | Budget spikes per flagship title | A cut of every sale for years | One-time fee per title. Backlist stays a budget line |
Production that scales with a catalog, not a flagship title.
Will it sound like a real audiobook?
The voice is AI. The production is not. A producer casts the narrator, directs pacing and tone, reviews names and invented words against the manuscript, and masters to retailer specs. Studio adds licensed music, ambience, and sound design.
Hear finished workDirected, then mastered.
Retail QC is part of the job: silence pads, loudness, peak, sample length, credits tracks.
Listening time is the business case.
Stream platforms pay on how long people stay. A directed listen holds a commute.
Will Audible and the other stores accept it?
Audible, Spotify, Apple Books, Google Play, Kobo, Everand, Storytel, library networks, and more accept AI-narrated titles when disclosure and retail QC are right. ACX self-serve still expects human narration; Audible on the Publisher pack goes under Lex's publisher agreement instead.
How publishing wide worksApple, title by title.
Apple reviews third-party AI audio and may decline. We submit and report either way.
Disclosure handled.
Store flags, credits, and metadata are part of the Publisher pack, not a homework list for your team.
Who owns the masters, and who takes a cut?
You own the finished masters and commercial rights. No term, no reversion, no exclusivity. Lex takes no royalties on the production fee. Manuscripts are not used to train models.
Commercial license summaryPublisher payouts, store by store.
On the Publisher pack, stores pay Lex and Lex forwards the rest monthly with a per-store statement. Lex takes no royalties. On Spotify you keep the full author share. On every other store the distribution partner keeps 20% of net.
License in plain English.
The signed agreement ships in the delivery packet. The public summary is on the commercial license page.
Can series keep the same narrator?
Yes. Cast once for the imprint or per series, then reuse. Pronunciation lists, character notes, and QC carry forward so book five still matches book one.
Browse the voice catalogueHouse voice, or a clone.
Browse the catalogue, or approve a clone of a narrator you already work with when that fits the rights.
Ops stays on Lex.
Send the manuscript and approve the sample. Lex handles casting, direction, mix, QC, and, on Publisher, store review.
How do we start without committing the whole list?
Pilot one title. If editorial clears the sound, we quote the rest of the list. There is no minimum catalog size.
- 1
Pilot one title.
The first chapter is free, back in about a day, no card.
- 2
Quote the rest of the list.
If the cast and mix clear editorial, we quote against Voiceover, Studio, or Publisher.
- 3
Schedule the backlist.
There is no minimum catalog size. Most imprints prove the sound on one book, then schedule the rest.
Built so a backlist can enter audio without betting the imprint.
$49
Voiceover, 10 finished hours of directed narration
$99
Studio, scored with music, ambience, and sound design
5 min
Publisher setup after you approve the audio
0
Lex royalty share on the production fee
Hear how finished Lex titles actually sound.
Full showcase
Questions publishers ask first
Start with one title, or the whole list.
Book a short call with the catalog in hand, or send one manuscript and hear the first chapter before anything is commissioned.